First question, first. Yes he made several jigs and prototypes. He made Bill Beck and I some float and fly jigs also and they were unreal for early season Bass. Merlin Olsen was a fly fisherman and was fishing the Green River, either early 80's or late 70's. His guide used the "New fly/jig and of course they ripped them." Merlin immediately wrote Mr. Jones and asked if he was in need or would like a spokes person for his Micro's. Merlin said he would be that person free of any obligation other than Mr. Jones giving him all the Micro Jigs he needed to keep catching trout. Deal was done and a match was made.
Prior to and after Turner's passing his Grand Daughter who lives pretty much off the grid made them for Phil and a few other of their better clients. She ran out of materials and there was some problem with stolen molds and other equipment from Turner's estate. Kind of a tangled web, to say the very least.
At one time Turner took a partner, a young woman who he thought was going to help him. She immediately stole lots of written information and molds and sold them to Lucky Strike and that's how they started making the product. Thru much legal battling Mr. Jones got this stopped as he related to me. The jigs Lucky Strike made were similar but trash, there is a bonding process that adheres the miniscule single strand of Hen Hackle under a colored collar of shrink wrap that holds this together. There is no tie thread or no marabou as Turner said it makes the jig way to heavy and not realistic. Both thread and marabou add bulk and this fly is extremely streamline and zero bulk.
After he molded and painted the head and added the eyes he then added the shrink wrap and hackle body and then clear coated the head and the attaching wrap. Multiple steps that he said had to be exercised correctly to make the fly as life like as possible. He said it is either a newly hatched sculpin or a small minnow imitation. He also made Sculpin jigs that the head was an identical match for a very small sculpin.
We ended up this morning with 62 fish for 3 clients on this jig. The fish here are extremely fat and healthy with lots of fish in the 13 to 17 inch range.
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